On Monday, three Richmond schools sent students home right after classes were supposed to begin in the morning due to a putrid smell overwhelming the air.
The likely culprit for the stench is Chevron’s refinery in Richmond, which over the weekend dealt with a flaring due to an issue with one of its processing units.
Residents reported seeing flames and smoke in the sky above the refinery on Sunday, although according to the Richmond Fire Department there isn't an active fire at the plant.
The flaring went on intermittently throughout the day and both the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Contra Costa Health Services went out there to do air monitoring and ultimately to investigate the root cause.
According to a statement issued by Chevron on Sunday, the oil company issued a Community Warning System "level one" alert, which is one of the lowest designations on their scale, to keep residents informed of the incident.
"Our concern always is whether those emissions result in health impacts for neighboring communities," said Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia. The Sunday flare-up made him concerned for residents in his district, District 1, which includes the city of Richmond.
Ultimately, PG&E investigators determined that the foul odor wasn’t a gas leak.
But residents have voiced concern multiple times over the years about the refinery’s impact on the area.
"The number of flaring incidents ramped up significantly," said Gioia. "The air district is taking a look at that issue in terms of fines and penalties."
Even though the foul odor continued through Monday, health officials felt a shelter-in-place order wasn’t necessary. School was expected to be back in session Tuesday morning.
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